Concrete-pipe-making machine



G. C. MARTIN CONCRETE PIPE MAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28, 1918.

1,344,590, Patented June 22, 1920,

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

G. C. MARTIN.

CONCRETE PIPE MAKING MACHINE.-

APPLICATION FILED AUG-28, 1918.

1,344,590. PatentedJune22,1920.

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G. C. MARTIN.

' Patented J 11116 22, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CONCRETE-PIPE-MAKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 22 1920 Application filed August 28, 1918. Serial No. 251,990.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE CUsHING MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, and

a resident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Concrete-Pipe-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for making pipe of plastic material, such as concrete and plaster, and the primary object is to provide a machine of simple character and -maximum output at a minimum of expense.

In m achines which have been used heretofore, recourse has been had to methods of'condensing the material, such as concrete, so as to provide a dense material, that is to say, a material in which voids would occur ordinarily are eliminated by a constant displacement of the particles. Also,

where resort has been had to 'either troweling or tamping pipe for condensing the material, it has been necessary to use a con- 5 siderable amount of power for operating the ,machine in order to effect an approximation of the result desired. It has been found in the operation of the machine covered by this application, that a very small amount of jarring causes a movement of every part in the mixture, which, in turn results in the filling of all voids, the displacement of all air, bubbles, and producing a formation in fact more dense .and compact than can be obtained by a very considerable energy expanded either on troweling or tamping. It has also been found in practice, that the effect 0ft either troweling or tamping does not extend to any great depth in the mixture of concrete proper for the manufacture of cement pipe. In the proper mixture, a good hard blow with a tainping device weighing 15 or 20 pounds will not cause a displacement of materialsat a distance greater than an inch or so from the point of contact of the tamper. In this machine, the only power required is that necessary to lift the slight weight of the table, molds and the cement contained therein, and it has been found that the dropping of this weight is sufiicient to cause a relative movement of practically every part of the mixture.

Heretofore, machines for making pipe of plastic substances have been of complicated character and therefore very expensive. and

a great deal of manual labor has been necessary in connection with the machines for producing the pipe in a satisfactory man- .Her, and it is a further object of this invention to reduce the manual labor to a minimum, and at the same time substantially lncrease the output of the machine over that of other well known machines.

Another objectthe principle of which is fundamental and novel to the best of my knowledge and beliefis to provide in a machine of the character stated means for' supporting the pipe molds in the machine, so that the material as it is fed to the molds may be vibrated, or jarred, so as to prop erly settle the material into compact form, and thus dispense with the usual tamping or troweling operation used in other types of machines.

A still further object is to provide a vibrating table or bed upon which is expansible and contractible mold members of the usual form which may be firmly held in concentric relation, and between which the material may be fed, together with means for vibrating said table and said mold members for the purpose hereinabove set forth.

Another object is to provide means for removably attaching molds of different size to the vibrating table of the machine so that the pipe lengths of different size may be formed in the same machine. Other objects will appear as the description pro gresses.

Referring to the drawings hereto annexed and forming a part of this application;

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved machine, with certain portions thereof partly broken away to show other hidden parts;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the machine bed plate;

Fig. 3 is a right hand side elevation of the machine, also partly broken away so as to show the molds and pipe in section, and showing the driving mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the machine with the hopper and upper mold ring omitted.

Throughout the specification and the several views of the drawings similar characters of reference are employed for indicating the same and like parts.

The operating elements of my machine are supported on a bed plate A, having ribs '1, and diagonal reinforcing ribs 2. and

adapted to rest upon a suitable base or pier as at 3. A table at 1s reciprocably means of bolts or cap screws 13 to pads 14.

mounted upon and occupies a plane substansuitably held in bosses 6, 6, etc., formedintegral with the diagonal ribs 2 of the base, these pins being extended substantially above the tops of the bosses and adapted to slidably seat in bosses 7, 7, etc., formed on the lower surface of the table 4'. The central portion of the base A has an integrally formed boss 8, which registers with a similar but shorter boss 9, formed on the lower surface of the table 4, and when the machine is inoperative, the table is thus supported in stationary position. The boss 8 also serves to limit the downward movement of the table, as will be apparent.

A driving shaft 10 is rotatably held on the opposite sides of base A in bearings 11 and 12, respectively, which are attached by and 15, respectively, which are formed integrally with the ribs 1 of the base. One end of shaft 10 carries a pulley 16, which may be connected by means of a belt 17, with a suitable line shaft and a suitable form of clutch C, may be employed on this shaft for imparting power to the driving pulley 1G, a common form of clutch being shown in the drawings, which is actuated by means of a shift lever 18, for engaging and disengaging the clutch members.

A driven shaft 19 .is rotatably mounted in bearings 20 and 21, which are attached by means of bolts 22, to pads 23 and 24, respectively, formed on the opposite ribs 1, of the base A, and shafts 10 and 19 operate in parallel planes and are operably connected at one end by means of gears 25 and 26, respectively, carried by said shafts. A pair of lifting cams 27 and 28, having involute peripheries and radially formed shoulders are rotatably supported on shaft 19, beneath and on opposite sides of the center of the table 4, and are adapted to rotatably engage plates 29 and 30 suitably attached to pads 31 and 32, respectively, formed on the lower surface of the table 4, for intermittently raising the table during the operation of the machine. The table is thus raised at each revolution of the shaft 19 for a dis tance corresponding to the difference between the lengths of the shortest and longest radius of the involute curve of the cams, the cams being synchronized, and the freceding of the cam peripheries causes the table to descend until the boss 9 thereon rests upon the boss 8 of the base A. The cams may be provided with a plurality of lifting points if desirable, depending upon the required reciprocations of the table 4.

The pipe 33 is formed between circular inner and outer mold members 34 and 35, which are concentrically held on the upper .forming surface of the table 4 in spaced relation, so that the material may be fed therebetween, and a ring 36 is held on the table 4 between the mold members, as shown in Fig. 3, for forming a tapered annular recess in the lower end of the pipe being made.

The outer mold member 35 has a band 37 at the top and a similar band 38 at thebottom, suitably attached to the body thereof and a shoulder slightly above the surface of the table 4. A pair of relatively stationary and movable clamping members 39 and 40 are held on the upper surface of the table 4 by means of bolts 41 and 42, respectively, said members being semi-circular in form and adapted to accommodate the maximum size of pipe mold therebe-. tween. The inner edges of clamp members 39 and 40 are rabbeted to receive the reversely rabbeted outer edges 43 and 44 of filler members 43 and 44, which may be removably attached to the inner edges of the members 39 and 40 by means-of bolts 45. The inner edges 46 of the filler members 43 and 44 conform to the peripheries of the outer pipe molds 35, and are adapted to overlap the upper edges of the band 38 on the bottom thereof, so that when the clamping and filler members have been firmly tightened in position, the mold will be held against removal from the table, while the machine is in operation.

As stated, the member 39, is stationarily held on the table 4 by means of bolt 41, and member 40 is adjustably held thereon byi means of bolt 42 which engages a slot 48, formed in said member. Dowels 49 are pro- F vided in the ends of the member 39 which, register with and are adapted to seat in corresponding bore 50, formed in the adjacent ends of the members 40, these members being thus held in concentric position on the table. Both members 39 and 40, may

however, be movably supported on the table 4, if desirable, and cams 51 carried on trunnions or pins 52, which are supported in lugs 53 formed on opposite portions of the table 4, may be employed for moving the members 39 and 40, said members ineffect constituting a vise with the inner edges of the filler members serving as jaws of the vise, whereby the mold may be held on the table. Suitable handles 54, may be provided for operating the cams 51, as shown.

' It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1, that the mold members 34 and 35, are cylin drical in form with the edges of the single piece of sheet material of which the eylinders are formed overlapping each other and the edges touching the pipe tapered, so as to prevent a seam. The outer member 35,

is adapted to be contracted when in operating position and expanded for removal from the machine so as to free the pipe therefrom. The inner member 34 operates reversely and is expanded for operation and contracted for removal.

The expansion and contraction of the mold members is accomplished in the usual manner which I will now describe in detail. Member 35 carries a vertical rod 55, in bearings 56, 56, etc., on the front portion and near one edge thereof, on which is pivoted a plurality of relatively long arms 57, 57. The opposite portion of said members carries a vertical rod 58, held in bearings 59, 59, etc., having relatively short arms 60, 60, eX- tending therefrom, and the arms 57 and 60, are connected by means of a rod 61, which is upwardly and outwardly bent at its upper end so as to form a handle 61 by means of which the movement of arms 57 and 60 may be effected for expanding and contracting the mold member 35, and also serving as a means for lifting the mold bodily from the machine. Another handle 62 is provided on the opposite portion of member 35 for the purpose of removing the mold.

The inner mold member may be expanded and contracted by means of arms 63 and 64, pivoted together at 65 and carried .respectively, on rods 66 and 67 held in earings 68 and 69 attached to the inner surface of the mold, the arms being operated by means of a handle 70.

In operation, the mold members 34 and 35, are'first clamped in position on the table 4, with the ring 36 therebetween at the bottom, a hopper of funnel-like form, as at 71, -is placed over the top of the outer member 35 and the material is poured between the Qmembers 34 and 35, the power being first applied to the machine so that the table and inold will vibrate as the material is fed between the molds. The jarring of the mold and the material therebetween causes the material to settle into compact form and when a sufiicient amount of the material has been poured into the mold to complete the pipe, an annular ring 7 2 is placed around the extended upper end of the inner mold 34 and over the material, so that a weight is provided for forming the top end of the pipe and providing thereon an annular tapered extension to correspond with the recess at the opposite end thereof, so that the adjacent end of the pipe sections may be fitted together and a good joint provided. Ring 72 may be inserted and removed by means of handles 73 attached thereto.

When the material has been vibrated for a sufiicient length of time to insure a proper settling of the particles, the ring 72 and hopper 71 are then removed, the mold members 34 and 35 are then released from table4 and the mold members 34 and 35, together with the pipe so formed may be bodily removed from the machine, the pipe being subsequently removed from the mold by eX-' panding the outer and contracting the inner member, after which the mold may be again used for other sections of pipe.

It will be apparent that the molds may be attached to and removed from the machine with facility and despatch, and that the vibrating of the material will produce results equal to if not much more satisfactory than the usual tamping operation employed in other machines.

\ I do not limit myself to the form of structure shown and described as the same may be substantially modified from the preferred form shown, without enlarging the scope of my invention beyond that of the appended claims or departing from the spirit thereof.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a pipe forming machine, a base, a vibrating table supported thereabove, means on said base for vibrating said table, a pipe mold carried by said table, a pair of semiannular locking elements adjustably supported on said table, and a pair of semiannular locking members engaging the lower end of said mold and held in engagement therewith by means of said first mentioned locking elements, for holding said mold in operative position, said last men-- tioned members being capable of removal for the substitution of other such members for accommodating the machine to molds of different diameter.

2. In a pipe forming machine, the com bination with a vibrating table and means for vibrating said table, of a mold concentrically supported on said table, a pair of semi-annular outer locking members adjustably supported on said table and near the periphery thereof, said members being slidably connected at their adjacent ends, and a pair of semi-annular inner locking members overlapping the base of said mold, said outer members overlapping the outer edges of said inner members for holding said inner members and said mold in operative position.

3. In a pipe forming machine, the combination of a vibrating table and means for vibrating said table, separable inner and outer annular locking members supported on the upper face of said table for holding a mold in position thereon, said inner members being adapted to overlap the base of said mold and said outer members being adapted to overlap the outer edges of said inner members, and means for clamping said members in operating position on said table.

4. In a pipe forming machine, the combination of a base having a plurality of recessed lugs concentrically formed thereon and a central abutment also formed thereon, a vibrating table supported above said base and having a plurality of depending lugs formed thereon and registering with the lugs on said base, rods carried by said base lugs and slidably engaging said table lugs, said table also having a central abutment formed thereon for intermittent engagement with the abutment on said base, for limiting the downward movement of said table, means for operably supporting a mold on said table, and means for vibrating said table. i

In a pipe forming machine, the combination of a base alined bearings on one side of the center thereof, a driving element journaled in said bearings, a driven element paralleling and operated by said driving element and journaled in bearings in the center of said base, a plurality of upwardly extended rods carried by said base, a central abutment formed thereon, a vibrating table supported above said base and adapted to normally rest on said abutment, lugs formed on said table having 20 bores for slidably receiving said rods, liftingmeans carried by said driven element for intermittent engagement with said table,

a mold supported on said table, and means for locking said mold in operative position. 25 Signed at Los Angeles, in the county of Los An'geles, and State of California, this 13th day of August, 1918.

GEORGE CUSHING MARTIN. In presence of LUTHER L. MACK,

H. M. BRUNDAGE. 

